Elevator-bucket



N0. 290,053. Patented Dec. 11 1883.

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JOSEPH A. HOLMES, OF GREENLAND, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

ELEVATOR-BUCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,053, dated December11, 1883.

' Applicationfiled October 12,1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OSEPH A. HoLMEs, of Greenland, in the county ofRockingham and State of New Hampshire, have invented anew and usefulImprovement in Elevator-Buckets, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to endless belt or band elevators, such as areused in mills for raising meal, grain, and other substances from onefloor or story to another by means of buckets arranged at suitabledistances apart on the band.

The invention consists in a bucket constructed for attachment on theoutside of the endless belt or band substantially as hereinafterdescribed, and whereby the belt itself is made to take the place of abottom to the bucket, so that a much lighter bucket may be used thanwhen the same, whether constructed in sections or one piece, has abottom of its own. A quicker emptying of the buckets is provided for inan elevator of the description referred to, and the belt may be arrangedto run in a nearly vertical instead of in an inclined course. Thebuckets, too, are prevented from clogging with or carrying round asecond time the meal, grain, or other substance lifted by them; and,being secured onthe outside of the belt, they may readily be removed orapplied, as required. Said buckets likewise pos-' sess the merit ofbeing cheap as well as durable and strong.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1. represents a vertical section of an endless-belt and bucketelevator in part embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of aportion of the belt, with one of my improved buckets attached; and Fig.3 is a di agram in illustration of the emptying action of the buckets.

A indicates the top drum or wheel (shown only in part in Fig. l) of anendless-belt and bucket elevator; B, a portion of its belt, and G Ocertain of its many buckets. These buckets may be constructed either ofwrought, malleable, or cast iron, or of any other suitable material.Each of said buckets O is made with a back, b, and sides 0 0, butwithout any bottom-forming an integral portion of the bucket, the beltB, on the outside of which the bucket is arranged, constituting oranswering as the bottom thereto. The sides a c are shaped on their outeredges to conform, or nearly so, to the circular travel of the beltaround the drums,

andthe buckets are secured on or to the eX- terior of the belt by shortbolts d d, arranged 6o to pass through flanges or projections e e on theback 6 of each bucket, whereby the buckets can be readily attached to orremoved from the belt. By the construction of the buckets without anattached bottom and their arrangement on the outside of the belt, asdescribed, said receptacles will much more readily and quickly emptythemselves of 'the flour,meal, orother contents as the same pass overthe upper drum of the belt, inasmuch as the flexing and run of the beltwill work it away from the open bottoms of the buckets, and so relievethe mass within thebuckets, and give it a quick and free discharge fromtheir open or mouth ends, as clearly shown by diagram, Fig. 3. Saidconstruction of the buckets also effectually serves to prevent theclogging or sticking of the mass to the interior of the buckets, and soavoids the carrying of the flour, meal, or mass repeatedly up and downthe elevator, there being no bucket-bottoms for the mass to stick to.The buckets, too, only having three sides, the belt answering for thefourth, can be much more readily cast or made than buckets having foursides,

and can be constructed stronger or stouter at their sides without makingthem any heavier than buckets having four sides. The elevator also canbe arranged vertically, or nearly so,

and its buckets empty freely, instead of, as

heretofore necessary with four-sided buckets, being set at aconsiderable incline, thus saving a large amount of space in mills whichconsist of several stories. Furthermore, by the construction andarrangement of the buckets increased simplicity, durability, andcheapness are secured for them, and the same will not require to beremoved for cleaning or repair, and afterward being replaced,but will befound as durable, or more durable, than the belt which I00 strncted withan open bottom and raised sides and back, substantially as specified.

2. In endless-belt and outside bucket elevators, the combination, withthe endless belt, 5 of buckets having an open bottom and raised sidesand back, and arranged so that the belt forms an inclosnre or coveringto said open bottoms, essentially as described.

3. In endless-belt and bucket elevators, the IO combination, with theendless belt B, of the buckets O, constructed with a back, I), and sides0 0. but left open at their tops, bottoms, and months or delivery ends,and attached at their backs or in rear thereof to the belt on theoutside thereof, substantially as shown 15 and described.

JOSEPH A. HOLMES. Witnesses:

V :MARCELLUS BUFFORD, Lrzzrn W. FREEMAN.

